Arsenal are reportedly aiming to get ahead of the queue to sign Olympiacos teenage duo Charalampos Kostoulas and Christos Mouzakitis, as Mikel Arteta tries to add youth to his already-talented squad.
Kostoulas, 17, has enjoyed an excellent debut season with the Olympiacos senior set-up, having scored three times and grabbing one assist in 18 appearances this season. The young forward found the net as a second-half substitute during a 1-1 draw with Kallithea in the Greek Super League on Monday.
Mouzakitis, 17, is another highly-rated youngster and has been offered the opportunity to shine in the Olympiacos first-team this season. The central midfielder has played 14 matches across all competitions this season and has started in five of their first six Europa League fixtures in the new format.
And Arsenal are bidding to win the race for both Kostoulas and Mouzakitis. In fact, according to Tutto Juve, the Gunners 'want to get ahead of everyone' to sign the Olympiacos pair, with Juventus among the others keen and looking to make their move ahead of the January transfer window.
The report states that despite being only 17 years old, both have 'adapted like a glove' to the demands of their current coach Jose Luis Mendilibar, and established themselves as key players in the first-team. Juventus are following them but Arsenal 'have the advantage' at this stage.
If Kostoulas and Mouzakitis joined Arsenal, they wouldn't be the only talented teenagers at the club. The Gunners boast a number of exciting young players, including Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly - both of which featured against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup quarter-final on Wednesday.
Arteta's side ran out 3-2 winners at the Emirates thanks to a hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus, booking their place in the last four of the competition for the first time in three years. Speaking in his post-match press conference, Arteta said: "Really happy, we're in the semi-final.
"The game started in a way that we certainly didn't want to with a very simple goal and then our team had to react and I think we did in a great way, showed a lot of character, so much desire to turn things around. In the first half we lacked some threat, we created two or three big chances but didn’t score and with a few adjustments in the second half we got a grip of the game again and we looked a threat."
Join the football.london Arsenal WhatsApp channel
Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus with the Arsenal Therapy Dog Win during the Arsenal Men's team group shoot at London Colney on September 18, 2023
Join our Arsenal WhatsApp channel and get all the latest breaking news, opinion, podcasts and in-depth stories from football.london's dedicated Arsenal writers straight to your phone!
By following this free service you will be the first to know the news from the Emirates Stadium as it happens, when it happens.
To join our dedicated Arsenal channel, all you have to do is click this link and you can join thousands of others following our Gunners coverage!
If you're curious, you can check out our privacy policy here.